Pages

Saturday, August 5, 2017

"Understanding" by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band

Pop Bits: Thanks to it's appearance in the film Risky Business, Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll" got a new lease on life and reached the Pop chart for a second time in '83 (#48). With that song backing an iconic moment in the movie, Seger then began fielding offers to supply music for other films. First up was this power ballad that found its way to the soundtrack to the movie Teachers. It would be the third single lifted from that album and it would do the best getting to #5 at Rock, #7 AC, and inside the Pop Top 20.

ReduxReview: This is Seger in his classic rock mode. He's not doing anything new here, but it just sounds pleasing and comfortable, like putting on an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Although a lot of the young teens were not gonna gravitate towards this, it hit just right with his fans and the older rock crowd. Seger showed that even in the synthpop/new wave 80s, there was still room for his brand of rock on the charts. I wouldn't place this song among his very best, but it's solid Seger.

ReduxRating: 7/10

Trivia: After this, Seger songs seemed to pop up on a lot of soundtracks. He would provide new tunes for four more soundtracks while some of his previously released songs would make it on three other soundtracks. A song Seger provided to one film would end up being the biggest hit of his career. Seger recorded the song "Shakedown" for the 1987 film Beverly Hills Cop II. The song would reach #1 and would be Seger's only song to reach the top of the Pop chart.